Sea of Love – Pia Östlund

Pia Östlund, Sea Beech (Delesseria sanguinea) 2024
Image size 390 x 287 mm. Paper size 430 x 580 mm.

Nature printed à la poupée with chin collé on Hahnemühle paper 350 gsm. The copper intaglio plate was made according to Alois Auer’s intaglio nature printing method from 1853. The original seaweed was collected at Tjärnö Marine Laboratory in the Koster Sea on the Swedish west coast in July 2023.
Edition size 18 / 2 a.p. / 2 p.p. Editioned by Tom Jennions, Borch Editions, Copenhagen.

Available for purchase. Email for details.

The Sea Beech algae with bright crimson fronds is rare to find along the sea shore. It thrives in between four to 25 meters depth. The specimen used to make this print was collected by boat in July. It captures the sea beech at its fullest. Soon after the blades will become increasingly battered and torn and the lamina reduced to bare mid-ribs by December.

The Limited Edition was issued as part of the Sea of Love solo exhibition at NoShowSpace in London. It has been nature printed using an old scientific image-making method which relies on 19th century electrochemistry to create copper printing plates from plant impressions taken in lead. The high pressure during which the original impression is formed, creates a unique image which makes visible even the most intricate inner structures of the algae (similar to fossil imprints).